"Pirates of the Mississippi" Topic

A look at a work in progress for our gaming group based upon some pirate history of what is now the St. Louis, Missouri area.

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Nice project idea. 👍
Helpful hint. Both Thingsfromthebasement and Sarissa make keelboats. 😄

Thanks for the advice John. Much appreciated.

Nice idea.

I remember Davy Crockett having trouble with Mike Fink and his gang in the old Disney series. Sounds like an interesting concept.

Google "28mm keelboat". I just did. There are a lot more choices than I was aware of, even though some look dubious.
But these are not exactly "manufactured" from a blueprint, so variety is a bonus.
They were often made from green lumber and were dismantled at the final southern port for the timber. Then, the crew would mosey up north on land to make, or steal, a brand new boat.

This one looks awesome.
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John
Those do look good. I am loosely basing mine on the one in this video from the Lewis & Clark State Historic Site Camp River du Bois in Illinois which is fairly close to where I live. link

Interesting. Mat looks 3D at first glance. The keelboat reminded me of the L & C site. Great museum on L & C.

Great project!

I have lately been musing about a Louisiana Purchase themed Silver Bayonet faction. I can't shake the notion that SB would be more at home in the backwaters, swamps and bayous of the lower Mississippi circa 1818 than anywhere in Europe like, ever.

Frostgrave has some intriguing fantasy monster possibilities, a la Rougaru, as well as Gripping Beast's Front Rank Napoleonics. Who would have thought a Russian Opolchenie would be such a good analog for a Cajun Mountain Man?

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Laissez les mauvaise temps roullez, for true.

Toot sweet!

The Savage Frontier Boat model is an amazing looking one.

I've always been a bit disappointed that a boat like that was never seen on the Hudson River — I set my FIW games in NY and Sleepy Hollow.

Keel boats may have worked their way far up the Ohio, but sadly no junction to the Hudson.

I featured the Sarissa keelboat in a game a few times. Once I asked a friend if he wanted a swivel gun on top. I got a Look that suggested I was daft. "Of course I want a swivel gun!"
That Savage Frontier one seems to have one included with the Bitz. 👍 Coureur de Bois figures seem appropriate.
I'll just pretend they had them on the Arkansas or Missouri rivers. If they really did, so much the better.
I used Foundry Mountain Men, Rogers' Rangers, etc for crew.

I saw an old classic where there was pirate and raider conflict on the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest.

John, yeah Arkansas or Missouri rivers are much more plausible for keel boats.

I am still semi-tempted to go with a far-travelling Coureur de Bois building one of the design he knows well up north for raiding and trading down Lake Champlain.

Alas, the Hudson is so solidly in Iroquois territory, there really isn't a plausible way to get it over into the Tappan Zee to raid Sleepy Hollow.